Atlas began her career as part of the world fusion group Transglobal Underground. In 1995, she began to focus on her solo career with the release of Diaspora. She has since released seven solo albums and been a part of numerous collaborations. Her version of "Mon amie la rose" became a surprise success in France, reaching 16 on the French Singles Charts in 1999. Her most recent creation Myriad Road was released on 23 October 2015. It was produced by French Lebanese jazz musician Ibrahim Maalouf.[4]

Atlas is of Egyptian and Israeli ancestry, as per an interview she gave to Ha'aretz in 2014.[5]

To confuse matters, Atlas has also said: "My Grandfather was born in Egypt, and my father was born in Belgium, as he (her grandfather) moved to Europe when he was about 20. My mother is English, and my father was born in Belgium."[6]

It is unclear why Atlas herself has given conflicting accounts of her own heritage.

After her parents separated, Atlas went to live in Northampton, England with her mother.[7]

Atlas grew up speaking French and English, and later learned Arabic and Spanish. She sings in several languages, including in modern colloquial Arabic, although she admits that she is not entirely at ease in it.[5][8]

Atlas has always spoken her mind about the way both she and Transglobal Underground were seen by the UK press back in the late 90s/early 2000. "Someone from the New Musical Express rang us about a feature we're to do with them and said 'We don't want it to be about the multi-cultural angle'. In other words that fad is over. And I'm personally insulted... what other angle is there for us?! I get sick of it all."[10]

Atlas was originally billed to star in and provide the soundtrack to the film Whatever Lola Wants, directed by Nabil Ayouch. However, shooting delays caused Atlas to only be involved in the film's soundtrack. Her song "Gafsa" (Halim, 1997) was used as the main soundtrack during the Korean film Bin-Jip (also known as 3-Iron) (2004) by Kim Ki-Duk. She participated in the piece "Light of Life (Ibelin Reprise)" for the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven.

In 2007, Atlas collaborated with Belinda Carlisle for Belinda's seventh album Voila. She contributed additional vocals on songs "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp," "La Vie En Rose", "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des Ronds Dans L'Eau." Voila was released via Rykodisc in the U.K. on 5 February 2007 and in the U.S. the following day.

The 2007 film Brick Lane features four songs with vocals by Atlas, "Adam's Lullaby", "Running Through the Night", "Love Blossoms" and "Rite of Passage". On 23 May 2008 Atlas released a new album, Ana Hina,[16] which was well received by critics.[17][18]

On 20 September 2010 Atlas released Mounqaliba. Co-produced by Samy Bishai, it explored classical instrumentation, jazz and traditional Arabic styles and was inspired by the poems of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. She is also composing the music for Francoise Charpat's upcoming film.

In May 2013, Natacha Atlas released Expressions: Live in Toulouse, an album which showcased her expressive voice using largely orchestral arrangements augmented by Middle Eastern percussion.[19][20]

In 1999, Atlas married Syriankanun player Abdullah Chhadeh.[21] The couple divorced in 2005.[22]

Atlas is now in a relationship with British Egyptian violinist Samy Bishai, who produced her 2010 release Mounqaliba.[23] The couple divide their time between London and France.

Atlas, who is Jewish by birth, has said in the past that she is "technically Muslim" and that she identifies with Sufism,.[22] Atlas also said, "These days I prefer to say that I'm Anglo-Middle Eastern and leave the religion out of it."[23] She is, however, open to other forms of spirituality because "it's important to be tolerant".[24]

In a joint interview with the Israeli singer Yasmin Levy, Atlas noted the risk of the collaboration because feelings of anti-Zionism across the Arab world were mostly tainted by anti-Semitism “Some Arabic artists wouldn't even consider working with anyone Jewish.”[28] Of her experience of working with Levy, Atlas said:

“We spent a lot of time in this little room, just talking and drinking wine”, recalls Natacha, “and it was like I’d known her all my life. I’d missed that female Middle Eastern company, as most of the Middle Eastern people I know here are men.”[28]

In March 2011, Atlas announced that she had joined the boycott of Israel and had withdrawn from a scheduled performance in Israel.[29] She gave her reasoning as follows:

"I would have personally asked my Israeli fans face-to-face to fight this apartheid with peace in their hearts, but after much deliberation I now see that it would be more effective a statement to not go to Israel until this systemized apartheid is abolished once and for all."

By May 2014, when she gave a concert at the Méditerranée Festival in Ashdod [30], Atlas had clearly changed her mind on the issue of boycott:

“For years,” Natacha Atlas told me, “I boycotted Israel and refused to perform here. But when I met a Palestinian fellow who’s married to an Israeli Jewish woman, something in me changed. Suddenly, this chance personal acquaintanceship made me think that maybe there should be another way. There’s nothing easier than to boycott and say that I don’t want to see Israel or meet Israelis or come here and perform. But then what? Where does that get you?”[5]